


and yet here she was...

by loverman



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Dumbass Adora, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Kissing, Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Making Out, Tattoo Artist Catra (She-Ra), anyway this took forever please enjoy it, bc i know little to nothing about that topic, but the flower shop is mentioned. so, everything i said about tattoo artistry could totally be (and is probably) wrong, except not really the flower shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25301587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverman/pseuds/loverman
Summary: Adora’s gonna be honest, she doesn’t really understand Catra. One moment, Catra is pinning Adora against a wall, kissing her like Adora just told her the meaning of life or something, making her melt, making her moan, making her feel more alive than she’s felt in years. Making her feel like the world, the whole universe, was doomed but then when they kissed, everything was suddenly… better. And yet, the next moment, she’s shooting her fake smiles and asking her to leave the room… Adora doesn’t understand Catra. And she both hates and loves that about her.OR...the tattoo parlour/flower shop AU we all love, but with a twist
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 345





	1. Chapter 1

When Catra woke up and got ready for work that morning, she most certainly was not expecting to be disturbed halfway through her second session, and yet here she was. 

She looked up from her client, Rogelio’s, shoulder to lay eyes on whoever had just burst into her shop, panting heavily with a look of panic in their eyes. It was some girl, blonde, average height, brilliant blue eyes that were so deep she could see them from all the way at the back of the room. 

Her shop was small, of course, because she runs it herself and couldn’t afford anything bigger; not that she really minds, she finds it cozy and quaint and prefers it over the last place she worked, which was huge and always loud, and was run by a real dick. Her old boss, Hordak, really didn’t know how to deal with people and clearly didn’t value her or any of the other artists that worked at his shop. But this shop was hers, she saved up the funds for it herself, decorated it herself, manages it herself, and that’s exactly how she likes it. 

The girl, the blonde who had rushed into the shop just a moment ago, didn’t move, didn’t say anything, she just stood there. Breathing heavy. Face looking, well frankly, pretty mortified. 

Catra simply sighed and returned her gaze to Rogelio’s shoulder to continue the piece, mumbling a quick, “Can I help you?” to the girl. 

“Uh…”

“Just so you know, I don’t take walk-ins.” 

“Oh. Um…Actually, I’m not here for a tattoo.” The girl said, finally stepping away from the door and instead walking over to the counter at the front of the shop. 

“Okay, well, as you can clearly see, I’m in the middle of a session with a client right now, so-“ But she was cut off when Rogelio mumbled to her that he doesn’t mind the new girl’s presence, much to Catra’s dismay. “Regardless, I don’t like people wandering around my shop while I work so if you could please leave, that’d be great.” 

The girl pretty much completely ignored her request, instead fiddling with one of the lollipops she had taken out of the candy jar on the counter, “Oh, this is your shop? Like, you own it?” There was a lingering curiousness in her voice which Catra did not appreciate. She was trying her hardest to not be entirely rude to this girl, what with the ‘please’s and all, but she was making it more and more difficult with every passing moment. 

“Look,” She finished up a line and then lowered the needle in her hand, “I don’t mean to be rude but what the hell do you want?”

The girl set the lollipop down suddenly, “That was you _not_ being rude? Damn.” Catra’s jaw clenched and she found herself glaring daggers at the blonde whose smirk suddenly faltered under her gaze, “Sorry, sorry.” She sighed, “I realize I shouldn’t be in here, it’s just that…” Realizing that this girl was probably going to take her sweet fucking time explaining herself, Catra returned to Rogelio’s tattoo once more. “My ex is out there and I really, really, reallyyyy don’t wanna see her.” 

“And I really don’t wanna see you.” She used her forearm to brush the hair out of her face, “If seeing your ex is such a problem then feel free to go over and loiter in the flower shop next door, I’m sure the girl who runs it won’t mind, but you can’t stay here.” 

At that, the girl, Adora, tensed up and began stammering, once again fidgeting with the cherry flavoured lollipop. “A-actually…The girl that owns the flower shop next door… _is_ my ex.” 

Catra looks up again, brow raised, “Perfuma? She wouldn’t hurt a fly, I’m sure seeing her couldn’t possibly be that bad.” 

Adora let out a nervous laugh, “Yeah, well, we kinda ended…um, horribly.” 

“Okay, fine, whatever.” The girl stepped out from behind the counter snd Catra gave her a once over, noting her muscular physic, “Why don’t you just leave from your right, then you won’t have to pass by your ex.” 

“Yeah, um, haha… See, I can’t really do that either, cause…” She unwrapped the lollipop and stuck it in her mouth, which Catra didn’t appreciate because those are only for paying clientele, “The girl that owns the bookstore is…also my ex.” 

“Jesus Christ.” 

“Yeah, so um…” She began admiring the art on one of the walls, “Can I just stay here for a little while longer? Please? I promise not to bother you.” 

Catra sighed, finishing up the last few details of Rogelio’s tattoo, “Whatever.” She figures the girl simply isn’t going to leave no matter what she says, and while she could technically have her escorted out, she really doesn’t wanna have to go through the trouble. And… Maybe… She finds the girl somewhat charming…

The blonde suddenly squealed her gratitude, causing Catra to flinch and nearly mess up a part of the tattoo. She was quickly shut up by the glare Catra shot her. “Oh, shit. Sorry!” Her cheeks flushed at the mishap and Catra couldn’t help but think it was kind of cute. “I’m Adora, by the way.” 

“Didn’t ask, princess.” 

“Hm, princess.” Adora repeated, “Takes longer to say than Adora, but sure.” Catra didn’t bother to point out that ‘Adora’ was actually three syllables, while ‘princess’ was only two. “So, what’s your name?”

“What was that you said about not bothering me?” 

“What makes you think I was asking you? I could’ve been talking to the dude you’re tattooing.”

“I’m Rogelio!” The man grumbled with a thick accent Adora couldn’t quite place. 

“Rogelio, stop talking to her.” Catra glared down at him; she wouldn’t normally speak to clients that way but he was an old friend. 

“Sorry, Catra, but she seems nice.” He argued, opting to remain silent after Catra’s gaze grew even colder. 

“Catra, huh?” Adora grinned, having found out the artists name after all, “Nice name.” 

“Whatever.” Catra grumbled, wiping down Rogelio’s shoulder. 

“You say that a lot.” Adora commented, and then, “I like this song.” She began nodding her head along to the The Strokes song playing through the speakers around the shop. “What’s it called?”

Catra really didn’t like this girl. “It’s called ‘shut up and let me work’.” 

“You’re a really angry person, huh, Catra?” Catra was taken back at that response but decided not to say anything, knowing that whatever snarky comment she made would simply prove the girl right. “Makes me wonder why you’d take a job where you have to talk to other people.” 

Adora continued to make her way around the room, looking at the art all over the walls, tapping her foot along to the beat of the song. She couldn’t help wondering if Catra was the one who made all the art, she figures that probably was the case since they were all in moderately the same style, and this was her shop after all, wouldn’t make much sense to put someone else’s art around the place. She committed her favorite pieces to memory, making a mental note to ask Catra about them later, once she was officially done working on Rogelio tattoo. She thought it was cool how this little shop acted as Catra’s own art portfolio; she could definitely appreciate the commitment and _talent_ it probably took to fill up all the walls like this, and not to mention to be able to even open up your own shop. 

She hadn’t even realized that Catra had finished up with Rogelio or that he’d already thanked and tipped her then left, until she turned around and was suddenly face to face with the brunette. _Oh, wow._ she thought, _her eyes are so…_

“I’d appreciate it if you left now.”

“I’d appreciate if you let me stay.” 

“I hope you realize I don’t owe you that.”

“I know, but…” _God, she’s standing so close…_ “It would mean a lot.” 

Adora’s voice had dropped down to a soft, airy whisper and it caught Catra way off guard. As lame as it sounded, she was getting a little lost in the blonde’s eyes. 

“I…” Catra’s breaths had gone shallow, she couldn’t focus. _Fuck, why am I standing so close…_ “Okay.” 

At that, Adora smiled at her, pretty and gentle and… breathtaking. She really didn’t appreciate how this girl, this random stranger who had just disrupted her morning, was making her feel. She really didn’t appreciate how Adora’s dumb smile was making her smile right back somehow. She simply couldn’t stop herself, Adora’s smile was contagious and the cure was nowhere to be found. 

“Your eyes are pretty.” Adora couldn’t stop the words from escaping her lips, not that she would have wanted to. “They’re like… _really_ pretty.” 

Catra didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say, no words were forming in her brain and any that did were swallowed down before she could actually get them out. A part of her wanted to tell Adora that she thought her eyes were just as pretty, _really_ pretty, if not even more so. But she just… couldn’t. And then, before either of them could form so much as a single thought, the door to the shop swung open, letting in way too much light for Catra’s liking. 

“Hey Catra, I-“ The woman’s eyes went wide in panic, “Oh, shoot! Sorry, I didn’t realize you were with another client! Am I early? Your text said five past noon… That’s now, isn’t it? Or is my watch wrong? God, I really should’ve listened to Kyle when he told me to switch to digital, these analog watches are so hard to read! Especially when they make the numbers so darn small.” Scorpia was bringing her arm closer, and then further, and then closer to her face, trying to read the time but clearly having way too much trouble. 

Catra stepped away from the blonde, finally, and turned to the taller woman at the door, “No, Scorpia, you’re on time, don’t worry about it.” She walked over to the counter, signaling for Scorpia to follow her over so she could check in for her appointment, “And no one even wears watches anymore, people just check the time on their phones now.” 

Adora was incredibly flustered, to say the least, and the loss of warmth emanating from Catra’s body being so close to hers was immensely upsetting, not that she was going to admit that. She simply stood there and watched as Catra and the taller woman, Scorpia, talked by the counter. They had a short conversation, signed some papers, exchanged some money, and then made their way over to the bench that had been previously occupied by Rogelio. 

“Oh, shit.” Catra glanced at Adora, then back at Scorpia, “Um, sorry Scorpia, my um…” She sighed and ran a hand through her shaggy brown hair, “Friend…is here, do you mind?” Adora’s cheeks flushed once more at Catra’s nervous use of the word friend; of course she knew Catra was just saving herself an explanation, referring to Adora as her friend so she wouldn’t have to tell Scorpia about the whole hiding-from-her-exes thing, but still, it warmed Adora’s heart a little. She felt a little embarrassed at the thought, at how easily Catra made her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. 

“Nah, it’s fine with me.” Then Scorpia turned her attention to Adora and waved wildly with a friendly grin playing on her face, “Hi Catra’s friend!” Now Catra was the one blushing, not that Adora could tell, what with Catra’s back facing her and all. Adora smiled, waving back, though it was a gentler, less reckless type of wave. 

“Right. So, ahem, anyway…” Catra regained Scorpia’s attention, “Let’s get started.” She began prepping Scorpia’s upper thigh for her tattoo and Adora found herself stepping closer, wanting to admire Catra hard at work. 

After a while, Catra’s playlist, which had still been playing through the speakers, pulled up a jazzy type song and Scorpia couldn’t help but snap her fingers along to it. “Um, Scorpia…Kinda making it really hard to keep my lines straight here.” 

“Oops, sorry. I just love this song!” 

“Oh, me too!” Adora exclaimed, catching Scorpia’s attention as they both began singing along to the chorus. Catra continued her work for another moment or two before her mind decided on a different plan and she found herself sitting back on her stool, watching Adora sing with her eyes shut and her lips turned up into the smallest smile. 

“Catra? You good there, pal?” Scorpia asked, following Catra’s gaze and chuckling softly when she realized what had caught the girl’s attention. “Ah, I see what’s going on.” 

“Huh, what? Oh. Sorry.” Catra tore her eyes away from Adora, putting all her focus back on Scorpia’s tattoo, silently thanking the heavens that Adora hadn’t caught her staring. She felt Scorpia’s knowing look even without making eye contact with her, though. “Don’t even, Scorpia.” She threatened, not bothering to check if that stupid smirk was on the woman’s face; she knew it was. 

“Hey, I didn’t say anything…” 

By the time Catra finished up Scorpia’s session, Adora had already sang through, like, six other songs, (and hummed along to another three or four) and it took everything in Catra to focus on doing her actual job, rather than indulging in her own personal concert. It did bring a smile to her face though, not only that Adora was singing, but that she had known the lyrics to most of the songs on her playlist. Despite not liking the girl and not wanting her in her shop for any longer than necessary, she appreciated that they seemed to have very similar tastes in music. 

Before Scorpia left, she made a point of whispering something to Catra, something along the lines of… “Ask her out, she’s really cute.” Catra couldn’t remember exactly because she wasn’t really listening, instead she had just made a note of when Scorpia would be coming back to finish off her piece and then bid her goodbye. She was never to keen on other people getting involved in her love life, not that she had much of a love life to get involved in, in the first place. 

“So,” She mumbled, taking her gloves off and placing them somewhere on the table nearby, “Is it time for you to go yet, or what?” 

“Oh, um,” Adora gulped, “I don’t know, let me see…” She walked over to the door, peaked her head out and then hurriedly pulled it back inside, “Nope. No, definitely not.” Catra sighed, rolling her eyes in fake-irritation. Truth be told, she was starting to enjoy the blonde’s company. 

“Fine, whatever.” 

“Um, so, is…um,” Adora stepped further into the shop, approaching Catra slowly whilst looking around the room, “Is all this art yours?” 

“Obviously.” 

“Oh, cool.” She bit her bottom lip ever so gently and Catra couldn’t help but stare, “It’s all really good, you’re really talented.” 

Her eyes were still lingering on Adora’s lips, “Yeah, um, thanks.” 

“I really like the butterfly ones.” Adora said, eyeing one especially large butterfly drawing on the wall right beside them, “That one’s my favorite.” 

“Yeah?” Catra followed her gaze, “Why that one?”

“I don’t know, there’s just something about it.” She turned to look at Catra again, though this time Catra refused to look back, worrying that she’d just end up staring again, “I like the colors, too. Blue and gold. They go well together.” A blush rose to Catra’s cheeks, understanding the double meaning behind Adora’s comment. Before either of them could say anything else, though, the door burst open again and Catra’s two o’clock appointment walked in. She found herself cursing under breath, and then blushing when she saw how Adora’s eyes had widened at her words. 

“Hey,” Lonnie murmured, walking up to the counter; Catra met her there. They went through the same list of actions that Catra had gone through with Scorpia and then Lonnie glanced up at Adora, “Oh.” 

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Catra turned to Adora, “Hey, come with me.” Adora nodded and followed Catra into the back room. “I’ll come get you when the session’s done.” She nodded again and then Catra was out of there, shutting the door behind her. 

Adora took in her surroundings, quickly realizing that this was probably Catra’s break-room judging by the snacks lying around, the mini fridge, toaster oven, and sketch pads littering every surface. There was also a backpack resting on the love-seat, which happened to be the only place to sit in the room, other than the floor. Adora sighed, pulled out her phone and took a seat beside the bag, making sure not to crush it beneath her. She began scrolling through social media when she had a brilliant idea; quickly searching up the tattoo parlours name on Instagram, she found its official account and began scrolling through, looking at all the past tattoos Catra had done. She liked all her favorites, hoping with everything in her that Catra wouldn’t think it was creepy and would just assume Adora was simply a fellow tattoo enthusiast. _More like a tattoo artist enthusiast…_ she thought to herself, thinking about how hard she was crushing on the brunette in the other room. Then, another genius, but also a little creepy, but still genius idea came to her and she went through the account’s ‘Following’ list, determined to find Catra’s personal account. _Okay, maybeeee this is a little weird and creepy and off-putting…_ she though, _but it’s not like people don’t do this all the time…so that makes it okay, right?_ she wasn’t sure who she was asking, really, especially it was a thought in her own mind. 

She finally found an account that looked to be Catra’s and paused before doing anything else, deciding to text her best friends about it first. 

**Adora: hey guys! urgent!**

**Bow: what’s up??**

**Glimmer: let me guess, this is about tattoo girl?**

**Bow: omg!!!!! is it!!???**

**Adora: maybe…**

**Adora: i found her IG…. is it weird to follow?**

**Glimmer: yes**

**Bow: no**

**Bow: who doesn’t like making new friends?? i say follow away!**

**Adora: actually she doesn’t seem like the friendly type…**

**Glimmer: don’t do it**

**Bow: no!!! do itttttt**

**Adora: well i already liked a bunch of posts on her tattoo account**

**Glimmer: oml..**

**Adora: yea so… idk**

**Adora: yea thought it over,, not gonna do it**

**Adora: i think she already thinks i’m weird enough tbh :/**

**Bow: boooooooo :(**

**Glimmer: sorry bow,, majority rules**

Adora switched back to Instagram, staring down at Catra’s profile for a moment before sighing, closing the app, and switching her phone off. She got up and began walking around the small room, staring up at the art that was covering the four walls. _Damn, she makes a looot of art…_ She opened up the camera app on her phone, snapping a few shots of her favorite pieces, hoping it wouldn’t be considered an invasion of privacy. She decided to notify Catra about the photos she took before leaving, just to make sure she’s aware and doesn’t mind. 

While she’s admiring a particularly large piece of a sword, the door to the break-room opens and Catra walks over to her. “That was fast.” 

“Yeah, it was a small tattoo.” But before Adora can say anything else, Catra is suddenly really, _really_ close to her again, like, even closer than before. And before Adora can even process another thought, Catra has her pinned against the wall by her waist. And before Adora can- Oh. 

She melts into Catra’s lips, kissing her back with as much fervency as she can muster. One of her hands moving to cup Catra’s cheek with the other landing on her back, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. They kiss for a minute, two minutes, three… Forcing themselves to breathe through their noses for as long as they possibly can before pulling away for a moment. Catra pressed a kiss to the corner of Adora’s mouth, then her cheek, her jaw, and as she made her way down to her neck, Adora couldn’t help but say something.  
“Not that I’m not totally enjoying this, because-“ She let out a slight moan and quickly bit her lip to control it before continuing her thought, “Believe me, I am, but…” Another moan, this time she let it erupt out of her, “Don’t you have more clients?” 

Catra peppered her neck with kisses, biting down gently once or twice, “Not right now, I’m on break.” 

“Okay,” Adora let out a shaky breath, “Good.” Catra had no time to process what was happening before Adora had suddenly flipped them around so that Catra was the one pinned to the wall. Adora swiped her tongue across her bottom lip, noting how intensely Catra watched her every movement, jaw clenched, breathing slow but heavy. Catra swallowed hard and a moment later, Adora’s lips were back against hers. 

A part of Catra wanted to take back control, the other part of her liked how things were going at the moment. A third part of her knew that regardless of what she wanted, Adora had control and she wasn’t about to relinquish it that easily; her grip was tight on Catra’s shoulders, she was strong and they both knew that. There was little-to-no way Catra would be able to flip them back to their original position, and after a moment or two of _Adora_ kissing _her_ , she decided she didn’t even want to. 

After a while their kissing had subsided and they each found themselves sitting on Catra’s love-seat, splitting a microwave pizza. 

“You want the last slice?” Catra asked but before Adora could even get a word out, she had already grabbed it and taken a bite.

“I mean, I was gonna say no anyway, but okay…” She mumbled under her breath, causing Catra to shoot her an exaggerated (somewhat fake-looking) grin, one that made her look like a chipmunk because of the huge bite of food she hadn’t swallowed yet. Then, after finishing that slice, Catra wiped her hands off on a paper towel and made her way back out of the break-room, leaving Adora in there, alone.

The blonde quickly took her phone out again, sending another text to her friends.

**Adora: :))))))**

**Bow: what?? adora what does that mean???**

**Glimmer: …adora what’d you do…**

**Bow: adoraaaaaaa!!!!!!**

She didn’t bother replying, she simply shoved her phone back into her pocket and followed Catra out. 

Catra was at the counter so her back was to Adora as she was filling out what to looked to be some paperwork. “Gonna be honest with you, my next client is a real bitch so you might wanna stay back there.” Adora couldn’t help but feel like Catra just didn’t want her around. 

“Then why’d you accept her commission?” 

“She tends to get really big, really detailed pieces.” Catra replied with a sigh, “That’s good money.” 

Adora doesn’t say anything, just returns to her habit of examining the walls. Then, “Can I ask you something?” Catra doesn’t respond, Adora continues anyway, “Why don’t you take walk-ins?” 

“You said it yourself, I’m not good with people.” Adora feels a little bit of guilt at her previous comment, “Walk-ins are a hassle and I don’t like to deal with them. When people make appointments with me, we can plan things out, get to know each other, understand each other better...” 

“But doesn’t that make for bad business?” 

“No, it makes for happy business.” Catra runs a hand through her shaggy hair, “Where I used to work, walk-ins were the worst part of the job. Apart from my shitty boss.” 

“Hm.” Adora glanced at the door and as she saw a tall, pale woman with long, flowing black hair enter the shop, she decided to take Catra’s earlier advice (which she concluded was actually advice and not just a way to get rid of her… at least not entirely) and made her way back into the small break-room. 

She sat down in her previous spot, scrolling through the spam of texts her best friends had sent her, opting not to reply since the majority were just keyboard smashes, reckless uses of punctuation (mostly on Bow’s end) and too many texts that were literally just the peach and cherry emojis, which Adora truly did not appreciate, but she supposes she deserves it after her vague smiley text. 

She sighed and made her way back to Instagram, finding Catra’s profile once again and clicking follow, hoping nothing bad comes of it. 

Adora’s gonna be honest (with herself), she doesn’t really understand Catra. One moment, the girl is asking her to get the hell out of her shop, the next, she’s staring into her eyes like she’s been in love with her for a year… And Adora knows almost exactly what that looks like because she _has_ had a thing for Catra for nearly a year now… Ever since she saw her once at Mermista’s bookstore, browsing through the books on art history. Not in a creepy stalker way, just in a… _wow, that’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen_ way. Anyway, back to the matter at hand; one moment, Catra is pinning Adora against a wall, kissing her like Adora just told her the meaning of life or something, making her melt, making her moan, making her feel more alive than she’s felt in years. Making her feel like the world, the whole universe, was doomed but then when they kissed, everything was suddenly… better. And yet, the next moment, she’s shooting her fake smiles and asking her to leave the room… Adora doesn’t understand Catra. And she both hates and loves that about her.

She’s surprised, about two hours later, when her phone beeps with a notification, alerting her that Catra had followed her back, and a moment later, she’s surprised again when the girl enters the room. 

“Hey Adora.” 

“Hey,” Adora smiled back at her. But then they both just… didn’t say anything. Adora sat there, staring at Catra, and Catra stood there, staring back. Adora didn’t like it. She didn’t like the silence, the awkwardness, the tension between them, so she sighed and took one for the team, “So, are we gonna talk about it?” 

“I’d rather not.” 

“Okay, well I’m going to anyway.”

Catra sighed and slumped onto the couch beside the blonde, “Then why’d you even ask.” 

Adora shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s just a courtesy.” She shifted her body to face Catra, who had her head back against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling, refusing to look back at Adora. “You...”

Catra let out a breath, frustrated. “I kissed you.” 

“Right. You…” Adora swallowed hard, “Did that.” 

“Did you not want me to?” She still wouldn’t lower her head, but Adora could see that she was side-eyeing her, in a way. 

“Of course I did-“ _Shit._ “I-I-I…I mean, I didn’t hate it.” 

Catra actually laughed at that, a deep, heavy _real_ laugh. It made Adora smile. “Okay, well I’m glad you didn’t hate it.” 

Adora’s smile grew a little, “It was…” She lowered her head, trying to hide her obvious blush, “It was really nice.” 

“Yeah?” Catra finally looked at her. 

“Yeah.” 

“It was really nice for me, too.” 

They smiled at each other for a moment, a long, steady moment of silence between them, in which they simply just smiled at each other. It felt special, somehow. As it was an important moment for them to remember, to preserve. 

Catra wasn’t used to putting herself out there. She wasn’t used to telling people the things she really _wanted_ to tell them. This was a big step for her, she knew that, and she took it because she felt that there was truly something special about Adora, something that made her _want_ to know her, _want_ to be open with her, _want_ to trust her. She found it funny how things started off between them, with Adora rushing into her shop in a panic, attempting to hide from a couple of exes she apparently had horrible experiences with. With her telling Adora to get out, that she didn’t want her around, that she was _bothering_ her. Something in her is really glad Adora didn’t listen. 

Adora didn’t think she would ever do it. She didn’t think she would ever actually speak to Catra. She’d had a crush on her for so long, she assumed that’s what it would always be… a crush. But now, sitting here, smiling at Catra, Catra smiling back at her, them just basking in each other’s presence. It made her feel so much. Made her feel so many good things all at once. She mentally thanked her earlier self, the her from this morning, that had the courage to walk into Catra’s tattoo parlour, knowing full well that it could have gone terribly (evidently, it almost had…) 

“But seriously, are you ever gonna leave my shop?” Catra asked after a long while, causing Adora to burst into laughter, “I’m serious!” 

“Do you really want me to leave?” Adora wondered, “Do you really want me to go out there and face my exes? They’d have my ass on a stick, ya know.” 

“Sounds good, can I have some of that?” 

Adora contorted her face in joke-annoyance, playfully shoving Catra’s shoulder, “You’re gross.” They laughed together for a bit before Catra sighed and stood up, telling Adora that she has more clients coming in soon, mumbling something about it being a very busy day. “Would they mind if I sit in?” 

“I’ll ask, though I don’t think they’ll have a problem with it.” Catra shrugged, “They’re all really chill.” 

The two girls walk out of the break-room once more, hanging out in the main area of the shop for a few moments before three people walk in. Catra quickly leads them to the counter, and after signing the papers, and exchanging the money, Adora notices Catra whisper something to them, to which all three of them glance over at her. She pretends not to notice, instead focusing on the table of Catra’s supplies, which she makes sure not to touch because Catra warned her earlier that she’d have to pay to replace whatever she destroys, and Catra was sure she’d destroy… a lot. The three people murmur their approval to Catra and then make their way over to the workshop area. 

The two girls go to stand by Adora while the guy, who she assumes is their brother, sits on the bench and extends his arm out for Catra to begin tattooing his wrist. 

“Hi!” One of the girls, the one with curly orange hair, turns to Adora with a friendly grin, “I’m Starla, what’s your name?” 

Adora smiles back, “Adora.” 

“Ooh, that’s a pretty name. So, are you getting tatted, too?” Starla wondered, while her sister stood beside her, rolling her eyes.

“Actually I’m just hanging out here for the day, ya know, watching the process and all that…” Adora gestured to where Catra was working. 

“Sounds like fun.” She grins, “My siblings and I are getting matching tattoos. A star on each of our wrists.” She and Adora continued talking about tattoos for a while, discussing all the ones they’d wanna get someday while Starla’s siblings got their respective tattoos done. 

After all three of them had finished up, asked Catra a few questions about how to properly care for their tattoos, and tipped her for her work, they were on their merry way, each of them gushing about how much they enjoyed the experience, especially Starla. 

“Did I hear you say you wanted a sword tattoo?” Catra asked, spinning her stool around to face the blonde. 

“Yup,” Adora shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, “I think it’d look cool.” 

“Really?” Catra questioned, standing up now, “And would that have, I don’t know, anything to do with the sword drawing I have up in my break-room?” 

“You have a sword drawing in your break-room?” Adora feigned shock, “Well Damn. What are the odds?” 

Catra narrowed her eyes at the taller girl, “Ha ha, very funny. Ya know, I’d be happy to tattoo you some time.” She thought it over, “Provided you don’t talk while I work and you tip me well.”

“I have an even better idea,” Adora crossed her arms over her chest, “How about you tattoo me in exchange for taking me out on a date, and I can talk as much as I want through it all.” 

“Soooo _I’ll_ be doing all the work?” She crossed her arms as well, “How’s that fair, exactly?” 

“I didn’t say it was fair, I said it was a better idea.”

“Whatever.” 

“Again with the ‘whatever’s.” 

“Well if you didn’t say dumb things, I wouldn’t ‘whatever’ you as often.” Catra argued, stepping up to the blonde with a semi-serious look on her face. 

“I do not say dumb things!”

“Pfft. Yeah, okay…” 

“Hey, I-“ Before Adora could finish that thought, a new customer walked in, cutting her off. She managed to mumble a quick, “This isn’t over.” To Catra before she made her way over to the client. 

“Yeah, whatever.” Catra mumbled back, frustrating Adora even more. 

That customer, a short, skinny, blond boy, had gotten a face tattoo. A tattoo… on his face. Something about it mortified Adora, especially when she looked at him afterwards and realized how out of place the tattoo looked. He had a very young, innocent kind of face and all the tattoo did was accentuate that. But to each his own, she figured, shrugging the idea off and silently deciding that she’d never get a face tattoo. 

“I can’t believe he got a face tattoo…” Adora mumbled after the boy, Kyle, had left, “Couldn’t be me.”

Catra didn’t bother turning to face her, simply kept her eyes on the money she had been counting at the counter, “I dunno, I think you’d look kinda hot with a face tattoo.” 

So it was decided, Adora was going to get a face tattoo. 

“Damn, today was rough.” Catra sighed, fixing up a few more things at the counter before facing the other girl whilst loosely twisting her wrist around, “My hand is killing me.” 

“I can imagine…” Adora sighed, leaning against the wall closest to her, “You tattooed, like, a hundred people today.”

Catra chuckled, “Actually, it was more like eight. Normally, I’d have a few consultations but I made sure not to book any for today, since I had so many appointments already.” 

“It’s busy work, huh?” 

“Yeah, I really enjoy it though, I’ve always had such a passion for art, it’s nice to get to do it for a living…” A soft smile makes its ways onto Catra’s face and it warms Adora’s heart, “And my regulars, like Scorpia, make all the work worth it even on days as tiring as this.” 

“Oh, yeah, she was really nice.” Adora remembered, “And her singing was incredible.” 

“She performs at that coffee house, Mysta-Café, like, every Friday night, actually.” Catra says, approaching Adora, “You should check it out sometime.”

“Ooh, totally!” And then a thought pops into her head and her smile grows, “Oh my gosh, I should totally tell Perfuma to go, I feel like Scorpia’s really her type.” She pulls out her phone and begins texting Perfuma, only to pause when she sees the look on Catra’s face. Her jaw slacked, eyebrows raised a little, arms crossed over her chest once again. “What…?”

“Perfuma, like, your ex Perfuma?” Catra questions, “The one you had to run in here to escape from? That Perfuma?” 

Adora’s eyes widen at her slip up and she slowly lowers her phone, abandoning the text message before she could even hit send. She let out a nervous laugh, “I know… I… I know a tOn of Perfuma’s…” Catra clearly didn’t buy that, granted, who would? Adora was known for being a terrible liar. “Okay, fine, so maybe Perfuma and I aren’t on such bad terms after all…”

Catra rose a brow, “Is she even your ex?” 

“Yes! And so is Mermista! But, um, they don’t hate my guts… Actually, the three of us are roommates.” Adora let out another nervous laugh, watching as Catra slapped a hand over her face, “It’s… possible… that I’ve had a crush on you for a while… and couldn’t think of any other way to talk to you… so I made up the ex thing as an excuse to hang out here all day...” 

Catra sighed, lowering her hand from her face and shaking her head at Adora’s – incredibly stupid – decisions. “Whatever, at least you’re cute.” And with that she stepped right up to Adora and took each of her hands in her own, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips. 

“Okay but about that whatever thing-“

“Shhh, don’t ruin it.” Another kiss. 

Catra definitely didn’t wake up that morning thinking she would end up kissing a beautiful, albeit idiotic, girl, and yet here she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: danisdreaming
> 
> twitter: whatarecartoons


	2. a taste of adora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It was featherlight and delicate… and… and… and magical, and they didn’t dare move or speak or acknowledge the outside world, worried that this moment was so fragile, any little thing could put an end to it. And they never wanted it to end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was supposed to be just a one chapter type thing but i figured i might as well add in catra and adora’s first date

One knock was all it took before the door swung open, revealing two women standing in the doorway, each of them with a different expression on their face. The one to Catra’s left, a tall, tanned, blonde, had what looked to be the biggest smile she could possibly muster playing on her face. The other, a darker skinned woman with blue-black hair tied into a braid and resting on her shoulder, was shooting Catra a look of pure agitation. Catra recognized them as the girls who, respectively, owned the stores on either side of her tattoo parlour. 

“Uh…” Catra stuttered, glancing between the two, “Hi guys.” 

“Hello, Catra! So nice to see you again,” The blonde spoke, her face suddenly falling as a look of anger began to replace her once jolly grin, “Now, _what_ exactly are your intentions with our Adora?” 

The shorter woman suddenly turned to her with an incredulous, yet somehow still entirely agitated, look in her eyes, “What the hell, Perfuma!? We already decided _I’d_ be the bad cop.”

“But you always get to be the bad cop!” Perfuma cried back, crossing her arms over her chest as a pout formed on her lips. 

Mermista groaned and rolled her eyes at her friend, then turned back to Catra, who was still standing on the outside of the apartment, looking fairly confused. “Hey, Catra.” 

“Hey,” Catra peered passed the two women to glance around their home, “Is Adora-“

“Catra’s hereeeee!” She suddenly heard a man’s voice call from inside and before she could even process what was happening, two more people showed up at the door, now completely blocking her view of the room inside. One of the two people, a muscular guy with a man-bun and kind eyes, who was wearing a really cute crop top, grinned at her, while the person by his side, a shorter, chubby girl with pink hair, had her arms crossed over her chest defensively as her eyes scanned over Catra, a look of suspicion playing on her face. Catra sighed internally, _great, there’s four of them._ “Hi there, I’m Bow, this is my girlfriend, Glimmer, I’m sure you’ve already met Perfuma and Mermista…” Noticing that the man was waiting for a confirmation, she nodded. “Awesome. Anyway, we’re Adora’s friends, she’s still in her room getting ready, but please, come in and sit down. We’d love to get to know you.”

 _Man, this dude sure can talk… hm, kinda reminds me of Scorpia._

She walked into the apartment glancing around to get a good look at the place, silently hoping Adora wouldn’t be too long. Suddenly she felt a small nudge at her side and realized Perfuma had been subtly elbowing her for a good moment there, “Hm?” 

“Did you bring Adora flowers?” She asked, giving Catra a once over to see if she had any on her. 

“Uh, no?” Catra rose a brow at the blonde, “Was I supposed t-“ Before she could even finish her sentence, Perfuma had already grabbed a bouquet of roses off from the coffee table, shoving it into Catra’s hands. 

“I brought these home from work, just incase you forgot.” She grinned at Catra again, as if to say you’re welcome. _Okay then…_

“So, Catra,” Bow, who was now sat on a couch, spoke up, while gesturing for Catra to sit down as well. He waited for her to do so before he continued, “What do you do for a living?”

His girlfriend slapped a hand to her face, “She’s a tattoo artist, Bow, we already know that!”

“I was just making conversation!” 

The pink haired girl, Glimmer, groaned and then shot a glare Catra’s way, “What are your intentions with our Adora?”

“Hey, that’s what I said!” Perfuma, who was now sat right beside Catra, piped in. 

“Will you just let her answer the question!” Mermista yelled back, but before Catra could actually say anything, Adora had already walked out into the living room. 

“Hey Catra.” She smiled, looking right at her, doing her best to ignore her own overbearing friends. 

Catra stood up slowly, throat a little dry, jaw a little slacked, breath… completely taken away. 

Adora looked beautiful. That was all that could be said. That was the only thought running through Catra’s mind. Adora looked beautiful. And suddenly she couldn’t really focus on anything else but that soft smile and those blue eyes, even with all of Adora’s friends loudly bickering in the background. 

“Hey Adora,” She swallowed hard and licked her lips, hoping to cure the sudden dryness in her mouth, “You look beautiful.” That comment shut Adora’s friends up as they all began looking between the two girls, eyes wide and a smirk playing on each of their faces. Adora’s cheeks flushed slightly, and Catra found herself taking a few steps forward to meet her in the middle of the room. “Oh, um, Perfuma told me to give these to you.” Catra raised the bouquet of flowers that was still in her hands, her hands which were now a little sweaty from how nervous she had become at seeing the blonde again. _Ugh, gross. Since when do I even get nervous around girls..._ She chose to ignore it when Perfuma groaned and said something about how she wasn’t supposed to mention that she had given her the flowers. Adora ignored it too. 

“Yeah, I saw her try to hide them this morning,” She let out an airy laugh, “Thank you, though.” She accepted the bouquet but then simply set it back down on the coffee table, trusting that her intrusive, flower-loving friend would put them in a vase of water as soon as they left the apartment. 

“If you’re ready to go, we can head out now…” Catra really hoped Adora was all set because, as _nice_ as they were, she really didn’t wanna keep being interrogated by her erratic group of friends. 

“Yeah, sure, lets…” Adora stepped forward once more, taking Catra’s hand in hers, both their smiles growing a little brighter at the action, “Let’s go.” 

Catra stared into her eyes, completely enchanted. “Okay.” She was sure the smile on her face would never go away. 

“Okay.” Adora whispered, getting just as lost in Catra’s mismatched eyes.

“Okay.” 

“Will you two just leave already?” Glimmer spoke up, receiving pointed looks from the three others beside her, “What? They’d be here all day if I didn’t say _something_.”

And with that, Catra and Adora were off, walking out of the apartment, hand in hand, matching happy-go-lucky grins plastered on both their faces. After they spent that whole first day together, Catra had gathered the courage to ask Adora out; it wasn’t that she wasn’t confident in herself, she knew how to flirt, she knew she was attractive, and she knew Adora already liked her enough to say yes, it was simply that she had a strict no dating policy, for no reason other than she thought it was too much of a distraction. She liked to put all her focus into her work, to improve her skills and build her brand, and she knew that going on dates with a bunch of girls would just stagger her development. There was something special about Adora, though. Sure, she was a dork and an idiot, and they kind of got off on the wrong foot, (well, Catra got off on the wrong foot, but in her defence, she didn’t like to be disturbed during sessions and Adora was making it very difficult to remain sane) but there was just… something about her. There was something about Adora that made Catra feel like she would be different, made her feel that Adora wouldn’t hinder her progress but somehow make it even better. Eventually, after Adora finally left her shop to catch a ride home with her roommates, Catra had stayed behind and gone to her break-room to sketch, she wasn’t entirely sure why but she had felt a rush of inspiration and she knew she had to do something with it. She ended up drawing a lot of different things in a few different styles, but every sketch had one thing in common; it had an aspect of Adora in it. She had drawn a butterfly that portrayed a pair of sparkling blue eyes on its wings. She had drawn a beautiful blonde woman carrying a mighty sword. She had even sketched up a quick, cartoony looking face with a tattoo on one of the cheeks, a tattoo of the word ‘face’. She ended up taking a photo of that one and DMing it to Adora on Instagram, to which she sent back a reckless amount of laughing emojis, and then her phone number, saying something about how it’s easier to communicate over text.

Catra had decided that Adora was her muse. 

She had spent the following day planning out what they’d do on their date. Well, she didn’t really plan all that much, she was much more of a ‘live in the moment’ type of person, so she simply decided on a location and figured the two of them could just go from there. She and Adora had texted about timings and transportation and all that other date-type stuff, with Catra insisting on picking her up. Adora had warned her that her friends would most likely be home then and that they could be a little… much, but Catra disregarded that information. _Heh, turns out she was right…_ she thought, after having met all of them. Well, she had previously met Perfuma and Mermista, being that they were her business-neighbours and all, but seeing Mermista on her occasional book shopping spree, or greeting Perfuma a good morning when she would see her on her way to work, ended up being very different to seeing them at their apartment, being overprotective over their friend, who still happened to be their ex. Plus, when you add the other two, Bow and Glimmer, into the mix, it becomes a fairly crazy ride. 

But back on the topic of their date… There was a park, fairly close to Adora’s apartment building, that Catra happened to know had a beautiful view with a quaint little pathway to walk down, a few private seating areas for them to sit and talk at, and a friendly ice cream vendor with the best coconut ice cream she’s ever had. 

“So,” Adora began, glancing at the brunette as they walked, “Where we headed?” 

“There’s this really nice park nearby, it’s only a ten minute walk-“ She suddenly looked up at the taller girl, her brows furrowing with hesitation, “If that’s okay with you.” 

“Of course, sounds romantic.” She quickly pressed a kiss to Catra’s cheek, immediately causing her to blush and, somewhat harshly, let go of Adora’s hand, much to her dismay. But before Adora could start worrying that she’d done something wrong, she caught Catra wiping her sweaty palms off on her jeans before clearing her throat, mumbling a hurried ‘sorry’, and taking Adora’s hand in hers again. Something about the quick spur of events warmed Adora’s heart a little. It made her feel special that Catra, who was clearly very cool, calm, and collected simply judging based on the times she’d seen her walking around town or browsing at Mermista’s shop, was so nervous because of her. Though, she really didn’t think there was any reason for her to be anxious about their date, if anyone should be overcome by fear and worry, it’s Adora. She’s the one who’s been dreaming of this day for the past year of her life. It took everything in her, along with all of her friends’ constant encouragement, for her to finally gather up the courage to speak to the girl. 

“It is, yeah.” Catra said after a moment. When Adora looked back down at her, seeming a little confused, she clarified, “Romantic, I mean. It’s really peaceful and calming and shit, I go there whenever I need to clear my mind.” 

“Clear your mind of what?” Adora wondered, mindlessly swinging their intertwined hands between them as they walked. 

“You know, the usual stuff…” Adora glanced at her, “Taxes.” That got a laugh out of her.

“Right, taxes can be really infuriating, huh?” Adora rolled her eyes, chuckling again at the dumb joke. “I get what you mean, though, I have this special corner in Mermista’s store where I like to just sit and let my mind wander. It gets really quiet cause it’s in this one part of the store that no one ever really goes to, it’s got really old math textbooks that are way too outdated to actually be useful. And I didn’t even think math could be outdated… Anyway, it’s crazy to me that Mermista keeps them around, but she claims that someday, someone is gonna stumble in, looking for some old math book from the 80’s, and her store’s gonna be the only one that has it in stock.” 

“I think she’s gonna be waiting for that person for a really long time.” 

“Funnily enough, that’s how she met her current boyfriend. He came in looking for old books to use as kindling-“

“Wait, kindling?” 

“Yeah, I don’t know, he has some kind of weird obsession with fire…” Adora shrugged, thinking about the oddity that is Sea Hawk, “He claims the older the book, the stronger the fire, which makes absolutely no sense-“

“Yeah, it makes literally no sense.” 

“Yeah, well, that’s Sea Hawk for you.” 

“His name is Sea Hawk?” Catra sighed, “You’ve got some weird friends.” 

Adora laughed, “I did warn you.” 

“Guess you did.” Catra glanced up at the blonde, “Okay, so, you know what I do. What do you do?” 

“Well, I help out a lot at Perfuma’s shop, and I sometimes give training courses at the gym near our building, but I’m actually in grad school right now.”

“Oh, yeah? What’d you get your bachelors in?” 

“Philosophy.”

“Oh, damn.” Catra smirked, “So I’m dealing with a philosopher here… Tell me, princess, what is the meaning of life?” 

Adora blushed at the nickname Catra had coined for her back when they first met, “The meaning of life… Haven’t figured that out just yet, though I do know a thing or two about a cat being both dead and alive… And something about true wisdom being knowing that you know nothing…” 

Catra laughed and then shot the blonde a flirtatious look, “I love it when you talk philosophy to me.” Adora couldn’t help the way her eyes got all wide, how the blood rushing to her cheeks turned them a deep crimson, or the nervous laugh that erupted out of her. “You okay there, princess?” 

“Mhmm…” Adora mumbled, turning to look away from Catra’s intense gaze, instead keeping her eyes locked on the concrete below her feet. “All good, all good…” She cleared her throat, “So, um…”

“You said you work at a gym?” Catra spoke up, saving the blonde from her sudden loss for words. 

“Yeah, sometimes. I teach a self-defence class every other week. It does kinda get to be too much though cause my assignments always end up piling up and then Perfuma ends up needing help down at the shop, but I’d already made previous commitments to the gym and all, plus I actually host a study group, twice a month, with a few of my classmates, so it’s a little frazzling at times, but nothing I can’t handle.” 

“See, when you say it’s nothing you can’t handle that makes me think that it’s getting to be too much to handle.” Catra looked up, noticing that they were about a block away from the park. “You totally seem like the type to overwork yourself for the sake of helping others.” 

“I do not overwork my-“

“You can argue all you want but I’m not gonna believe you.” Catra chuckled to herself while Adora just pouted, brows furrowed, looking all annoyed and disgruntled at how Catra had cut her off, “All I’m saying is I think you should put yourself first every once in a while.” 

“Yeah, yeah…” Adora mumbled, choosing to let the topic go, though Catra could tell her words really stuck with the blonde. 

As much as Adora hated to admit it, it was true. She tended to put others’ happiness above her own, always making time to help anyone that needed her, even if she had her own problems to fix. She just figured, if she was around and had the resources to help someone with something, why not do it? Never mind the fact that she’s was basically falling apart at the seams, if she was capable of doing something for someone else then she believed she had a moral obligation to do so, especially when it came to her friends. Besides, things like helping Perfuma at the shop was fun for her, they’ve always gotten along really well and Adora enjoys being around all those pretty flowers, so what’s the big deal if she puts off doing some assignments for a little while longer to tend the cash register or water a couple orchids? And as for the gym, she needed to make money somehow… Tips from the shop were good and all, but her bi-weekly classes brought in a moderately steady pay check, plus it was fun for her. She really liked all the people in her class, they all had great energies and always trusted her to teach them the right way to handle any situation they might find themselves in. Adora liked being trusted that way, she liked feeling needed, she liked knowing that she was helping the people in her life. Something about it made her feel useful, like her life actually had purpose. She always thought those feelings were a little ironic considering her deep interest in philosophy. 

They made it to the park in around ten minutes, just as Catra had predicted, and she quickly led them to a far off, secluded area that consisted of a stone picnic bench and a massive cherry blossom tree that stood proudly beside it. She mumbled a quick, ‘thank god’, to herself when she saw that the area was unoccupied. This was her favorite spot but she rarely actually got to sit there alone because it seemed to be _a lot_ of people’s favorite spot. 

Sitting down across from her, Adora finally let Catra’s hand go, instead opting to place her elbows down on the table that was between them, resting her head on her hands as she listened to Catra talk. Something about the other girl was so dreamy, she made Adora feel as though she was in some pretentious yet still aesthetically pleasing indie movie. Or some old Disney movie with a charming love interest. Or like she was just lying in freshly cut grass, staring at the stars. She didn’t know how to describe it exactly, she just knew that Catra was dreamy as hell. 

“What?” 

“What?”

“You just said I’m dreamy as hell.”

She lost her words. Her face was red and jaw was clenched and her eyebrows were flying all over the place and… She lost all her words. 

“I… I did?” 

Catra nodded, “You did.” 

“Oh.” Adora swallowed the lump in her throat, “Well… Well, that’s because it’s true. I… I said it, because it’s true. You are dreamy as hell.” Her attempt to make it seem as though she’d said the words on purpose was a disaster, Catra didn’t look like she bought it at all, but regardless, her smile was lighter than air and that made Adora’s heart flutter. 

“Well, thank you.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, of course, any… Anytime.” Adora grinned, all stupid and awkward and flustered, but Catra didn’t seem to mind. She didn’t seem to mind how much of an idiot Adora was being in that moment.

The brunette chuckled, shaking her head, “You’re such an idiot.” Oh. Never mind, then. “It’s cute.” _Oh._ Okay. Good. Cute is good. “Tell me more about those self-defence classes.” 

“Okay,” Adora smiled, a proper, normal person smile this time. She loved talking about the classes she taught. “As a kid, I was really involved in a bunch of combat clubs, I took up boxing, martial arts, I even did wrestling for a little bit, though that didn’t last long.” She laughed to herself, “And then when I got older I realized how useful all those skills really were because it turns out, there’s a loooot of creeps out there.”

“You’re telling me.” 

“Yeah, so I really wanted to help out those who didn’t learn things like self-defence at an early age, like I did. I actually approached my gym, like, the one I train at, about teaching a course there and they were totally on board with the idea. I’ve been doing it for a few years now. It’s actually super fun and everyone in my current class is so nice. You should think about joining, actually.”

“That’s a nice idea and all but I can take care of myself, princess.” Catra ran a hand through her hair, subtly trying to flex her muscles. 

“Oh, can you? Cause I seem to remember _someone_ pinning _someone else_ to a wall and that _someone else_ not being able to do anything about it…” Adora had a smug little smirk on her face and it only made it harder for Catra not to blush. Oh, who was she kidding? There was no stopping the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks, she was basically a tomato after hearing what the blonde had just said. She wanted to speak, to defend herself in _some way_ but it was no use, she knew that even if she could come up with some kind of response, it would end up coming out as a sputtered mess of words. “Besides,” Adora started up again, and before Catra could even recover from her first comment, she brought a hand forward, resting it on one of Catra’s hands, which were both resting flat on the table, and massaged her knuckles tenderly. “If you came down to my gym, we could spar for a bit, and something tells me that would be really, _really_ fun…” Adora was trying to kill her. That’s it. That’s the only explanation. Adora was trying to fluster Catra to death. 

“You okay there, Catra?” Adora mocked, referencing Catra’s previous comment with just as much flirtatiousness in her voice as when Catra had said it. 

Catra exhaled through her nose, swallowing hard, eyes locked on Adora’s as the blonde fluttered her lashes and tried her best to look all cute and innocent. She quickly glanced around at their surroundings and when she saw that, still, no one had come ‘round, her gaze darted back to Adora. The blonde couldn’t even think twice before the collar of her shirt was clumped into a fist and she was being pulled forward to meet Catra’s lips. 

Catra had to admit, making out over a big stone table wasn’t the easiest task to accomplish, but she’d be damned if she let Adora get away with teasing her like that. But she _also_ had to admit, that something about Adora, with all her awkwardness and her idiocy and her Adora-ness, being able to so easily flip a switch and fluster Catra for a change was… incredibly hot. 

After a moment or two, Catra found herself biting on Adora’s bottom lip just enough to make it sting and when Adora let out a soft gasp, Catra’s tongue met hers. 

They kissed for as long as they possibly could until the position they were in became too uncomfortable and they felt the need to come up for air, but even then, Catra kept her hold on the collar of Adora’s shirt, keeping her at eye-level with her, lips mere inches apart. 

“Don’t tease me like that again.” 

Adora rose a challenging brow at her, “You sure you want me to stop?”

 _No._

But Catra’s silence was enough of an answer and then she was loosening her grip on Adora’s shirt, allowing her to pull back and sit down. 

“Didn’t think so.” Adora smirked. _God, she’s so…_

“Fuck off.”

“Gladly.” _God, fuck that stupid smirk._

Catra sighed, trying to clear her mind, not wanting to stay flustered this way throughout their entire date. “Since when are you smooth?” 

“Hey, I landed a date with you, didn’t I?” She cocked an eyebrow in that stupid knowing way, like she knew she was hot, like she knew she was getting under Catra’s skin, like she knew just how much Catra liked it. It pissed her off and drew her in all at once. 

“Whatever.” Catra cleared her throat, hurriedly breaking eye contact and looking around in feigned determination. “I’m gonna go grab us some ice cream, stay here and save our spot, yeah?”

Adora smiled up at her, still a hint of smugness in her eyes, “Sure, whatever you say.” She sent a wink Catra’s way and the brunette clenched her jaw, brushing a hand through her short hair. She considered asking her if she wanted a specific flavour, but decided that was too _dangerous_ of a question and instead just turned around and left, heading towards the ice cream vendor. 

She decided on a cone for each of them, each one topped with a single scoop of coconut ice cream. When she returned, Adora had been observing the scenery around them, taking it all in, watching as the wind blew some cherry blossom petals off the tree. One petal flew towards their table and Adora jumped up to catch it, staring down at it between her fingertips and smiling to herself before gently placing it in her pockets. She wasn’t sure why but something about the scene made Catra’s heart beat heavily against her chest. She took the final few steps to get to their table and sat down, handing Adora her cone. 

“It’s coconut, I hope that’s okay.” 

“Catra, I’m allergic to coconut.”  
“Oh, fuck. Shit. Okay, I’ll go get you another-“ She began to stand back up but Adora’s laughter stopped her halfway through. 

“I’m just messing with you,” She grinned as Catra glared at her, “I’m good with coconut.” She took a small bite at first, and then her smile grew and she took another, larger bite, “Whoa, this is really good!” She looked up and was taken back by the horrified look on Catra’s face, “…What?”

“You bite your ice cream?”

“…Yeah? How else are you supposed to eat it?”

“You’re supposed to lick it,” Catra saw that smug smirk returning to Adora’s face and quickly piped up again, “Shut the fuck up, don’t you dare say it.” Adora just laughed at that and continued eating (biting) her ice cream. 

After finishing their respective ice cream cones, Catra got up and led Adora over to the walking trail, this time, though, they didn’t hold hands. Catra had hands dug deep in her pockets and Adora had her arms behind her back, one of her hands clasping the opposite wrist. They did, however, continuously ‘accidentally’ nudge each other’s shoulders, soft, shy smiles playing on each of their faces as they walked in silence admiring all the beautiful aspects of nature around them. When a wind blew past and Adora shivered ever so gently, Catra found herself instinctively shrugging off her leather jacket, draping it loosely over Adora’s shoulders instead, who blushed but said nothing. 

After a while, “Thanks.”

“No biggie, I’m not that cold.” 

“Not for the jacket, doofus,” Adora giggled, “I meant thank you for the lovely date.” 

“It’s not even over yet.” Catra reminded her, kicking a leaf away with her boot then glancing up at Adora.

“Yeah but still,” She shrugged and Catra’s jacket shifted, she didn’t bother readjusting it, “Thank you.” She smiled, keeping her gaze locked on the pathway beneath them.

Catra smiled up at her, not averting her own gaze, “Of course.” Noticing that Catra’s eyes were on her, Adora stopped walking, staring back down at the brunette. 

They were stopped there, somewhere in the middle of the walking trail, staring at each other, each of them silently wondering if this is what complete and utter bliss felt like. 

Adora blinked. And then connected their lips in the softest kiss they’ve shared so far. 

It was featherlight and delicate… and… and… and magical, and they didn’t dare move or speak or acknowledge the outside world, worried that this moment was so fragile, any little thing could put an end to it. And they never wanted it to end. 

Eventually, they give in to the overbearing need for air, opting instead to rest their foreheads against each other, panting heavily, smiles growing by the second, the scent of coconut filling their senses. 

Catra mumbled, “Wow.” 

Adora laughed, airy, breathless, blissful. “Don’t ruin it.” 

They walked the rest of the trail, speaking in hushed whispers to avoid disturbing the intimate peace they had created, Adora’s hand resting in Catra’s back pocket, Catra’s hand securely wrapped around Adora’s waist. 

While Catra walked Adora back to her apartment, they couldn’t ignore the endless amounts of texts that Adora was receiving from her friends, asking her to invite Catra over so they could continue getting to know her.

“I don’t know…” Catra scrunched up her face at the suggestion, “I mean, I gotta get home and work on some sketches and I-“ 

Adora raised a gentle hand to her cheek, using the pad of her thumb to trace soft circles on the shorter girl’s cheekbone, “Please? For me?” Catra’s not sure how they got to be so used to each other’s touch so soon, given that they had only hung out twice, and especially since she absolutely hated to be touched by anyone. And yet she found herself longing for Adora’s touch, constantly. Almost as though something was wrong if Adora _wasn’t_ touching her in some way. Almost as though they were meant to fall so easily into each other’s touch, like two missing puzzle pieces that somehow made each other whole, even without the nine-hundred-and-ninety-eight other pieces. Something about Adora’s touch made all her troubles fade away. Made that pit in her stomach, that always seemed to be there no matter what, fade away. Made every thought she’s ever had about anything that wasn’t _Adora, Adora, Adora…_ fade away. 

“Okay.” 

Adora smiled at her, “Okay?”

She nodded, “Okay.” 

And so they reentered the apartment together, with Catra’s eyes scanning over everyone in the room. The same four people as earlier this afternoon were there, plus four more. She looked to Adora to introduce her. 

“Hey guys,” She had that adorable grin on her face again, “So… this is Catra… my, um…” She took Catra’s hand in hers, “My _girlfriend._ ” The word felt nice coming off her tongue. Sure, she’d said it before, about other girls, but it’s never felt this light, this soft, this good. It’s never felt this _right._

It was never this simple. 

Not with any of those other girls. Not with anyone other than Catra.

At hearing the word, Catra thinks back to the earlier moment when she’d asked the question. It was after that last kiss, they had continued down the trail and made it to the park’s main gate, Adora had attempted to go through, ready to head back home, and for a moment, Catra was going to follow her out, but something told her to stop Adora, to pull her close, and ask her the question. It wasn’t a question Catra was planning on asking on their first date. Hell, it wasn’t a question Adora had planned on answering on their first date. They were both the type to take things a little more slow, they would always move at their own pace, never rushing into things, at least when it came to past relationships. But something about this, about them, it didn’t feel like a rush. It just felt like it was supposed to happen. And they both figured, if every couple had their own pace, this was theirs. 

So Catra asked Adora the question. 

And Adora said yes. 

At hearing the news, Bow and Perfuma immediately jumped up from their respective seats on the couch to scream and squeal and yell at Glimmer that they, “Knew it!”, they, “Freaking knew it!” 

Choosing to ignore that outburst of ridiculousness, Adora turned to the four new people, gesturing to each person as she said their name. “This Entrapta, Spinnerella, and Netossa.” And then she gestured at the one man among the four, who was cuddled up to Mermista’s side at the moment, “And this is Sea Hawk.” She then whispered a quick, “The fire guy I told you about.” Catra nodded, raising and then lowering her eyebrows in understanding.

“Ah, so I understand you’ve heard of me!” Sea Hawk put on a proud grin, “Did dear Adora tell you about my sail across the Atlantic?” 

“Sea Hawk, that never happened. I _told_ you, you were lucid dreaming.” Mermista cut in.

“Nevertheless, it was quite the Adventure!” He said, a little too loud, putting extra emphasis on the word ‘adventure’ for some reason. 

“Never mind that, Sea Hawk,” Perfuma began, turning to face Adora and Catra with a twinkle in her eyes, “Tell us everything!” 

Adora chuckled at her friend’s enthusiasm and then sat down beside them all in the couch, pulling Catra down to sit beside her but ultimately ending up with her on her lap. Not that either of them seemed to mind that. 

They sat with the group for an hour or two, with Adora gushing about their _wonderful_ date and Catra just sitting their, listening to her _girlfriend_ talk, enjoying every moment of it.

Something Adora did _not_ enjoy, however, was when all her friends began to share stories of all the times Adora would apparently _not shut up_ about ‘the tattoo girl’. 

“You know, Catra,” Perfuma began, “Adora used to beg me and Mermista for your name _all the time_ and we used to tell that if she wanted to know so badly, she should just go over and talk to you herself, but she was so nervous she refused to do it. Yet she had no problem taking earlier shifts down at my shop just so she could see you coming in for work.”  
“Perfuma!” Adora yelled, face so hot you could use it to start a fire, “Don’t _tell_ her that!”

“Oh, that’s not even the half of it!” Bow exclaimed, receiving a furious glare from Adora, silently insisting that he stop talking, “She used to send Sea Hawk into your shop to ask dumb questions and then come back and tell her your answers.”

“Oh, my god…” Catra turned to the moustache man himself, “ _That’s_ why you look so familiar!”

“Guilty as charged.” He laughed, whipping his floppy hair back. 

“Oh, and you should’ve heard all her constant yammering!” Glimmer added, “Glimmer, tattoo girl is so cute! Glimmer, tattoo girl is so hot! Glimmer, tattoo girl is the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen!”

“And can you believeeee she has her own shop? And at such a young age? God, she must be soooo talented!” Bow spoke, doing his best to mock Adora’s voice. 

Even Netossa was joining in now, “She once referred to you as ‘an angel from heaven’, ya know.” 

“And another time, she came up to me at the store after you had just left and asked me if you-“

“Okaaaaaay!” Adora jumped up before Mermista could finish _that_ sentence, sending Catra flying off her lap and up onto her feet, “It’s been fun hanging out and everything but I’m sure Catra has a tooon of work to do so let’s not keep her any longer than we already have.” She grabbed the hand of the girl in question and bolted for the door as everyone began yelling out their goodbyes to the brunette. 

Catra’s smirk had pretty much taken over her whole face by the time they made it out into the hall, much like Adora’s blush. “So, about that little crush you had on me…” 

“Shut up and kiss me.” 

And so she did. Catra kissed Adora like it was the first time she’d kissed her all over again. Pinning her up against the front door of her apartment, silently hoping none of her friends would suddenly swing it open. She kissed her deep and full and she indulged in the taste of _Adora,_ savouring every little bit of her against her mouth. She swiped her tongue across Adora’s bottom lip, slipping her hands down her back, allowing them to rest on her ass. Adora brought her hands up to Catra’s hair, gripping it and pulling on it and forcing her closer into her, forcing her to deepen the kiss even further. Adora couldn’t help but smile into Catra’s mouth, smile at the feeling of Catra’s rough tongue against hers, smile at how possessive Catra’s hands were on her body. If _Catra_ , if this girl who was kissing her and holding her and making her feel all these overwhelming emotions that she never even knew she could feel, was a drug then Adora’s sorry to say it but she’d happily overdose. 

After what felt like hours, but was simply mere moments, passed, Catra slowly began to pull away but made an effort to leave a few more soft, lingering pecks on Adora’s lips, still craving Adora just as badly as Adora was craving her. “I have to go…” She mumbled against Adora’s mouth, kissing her again. 

“Okay.” Adora whispered, kissing Catra again, slightly rougher.

“Okay.” Catra kissed her again, then again, then again. Quick pecks that still managed to feel just as good as their deeper kisses.

“Oka-mmf.” Adora cut herself off, using Catra’s hair, which her fingers were still tangled in, to pull her in for another lingering kiss. 

“Okay.” Catra spoke so quietly her ears barely registered the word, pressing her lips to Adora’s again before quickly pulling away again, “Seriously,” A kiss. “I…” A kiss. “I gotta…” A kiss. “I gotta go…” A kiss. “I…” 

“Yeah, yeah…” Adora kissed her. “You have to go.” She kissed her again. “Right.” Again. “Okay.” And again.

“Okay.” Catra kissed her again, and then…

“For the love of God! Go!” Came a voice from inside the apartment, a voice that sounded a lot like Glimmer. 

Catra chuckled, “Okay. I’m gonna go.” She pressed a final kiss to the corner of Adora’s mouth. “I’ll see you, okay?” 

Adora nodded, the ghost of Catra’s lips lingering on her mouth causing her to smile. Airy, breathless, “Okay.” 

Catra smiled back and headed towards the elevator, quickly looking back over her shoulder when she heard Adora call out a quick, “Text me when you get home safe!”

“Okay!” 

Adora stood there, leaning against her front door, watching as Catra, her girlfriend, the girl of her dreams, stepped into the elevator and then the doors shut. She didn’t move, she just stayed where she was, replaying every kiss they just shared in her mind. She licked her lips, shut her eyes, relived every moment as if it was still happening. And then she… And then she fell back on her ass when Bow swung open the door, shock immediately taking over his face as Adora groaned in pain. “Oh, my gosh! Sorry! We thought you moved…” He bent down to help her up, “We all gotta get going now.” 

“Would it have killed you to knock?” Adora mumbled, still wincing, just now noticing that everyone, but Perfuma and Mermista, seemed to have been waiting for her make out session with Catra to finally end, so they could head home.

“We were on the inside of the door…” Glimmer pointed out, glaring at Adora. 

“Yeah, well…” Adora groaned, rolling her eyes, “Whatever.” She turned and began heading to her room.

Bow gasped, “Whatever!?” He repeated, staring at her in utter shock, “What is this girl turning you into!?”

At that comment, Adora couldn’t help but smile to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just btw,, i didn’t write out the entire date bc i’m lazy and this took all day,, but i just wanted to say that they talked a lot more than just what was shown - like they talked and talked and talked - and kissed - and talked and talked and talked - and kissed - and talked and talked and talked and thEn became girlfriends - they didn’t just have one convo, kiss and then make it official 
> 
> idk why i felt the need to justify that i just felt like their relationship could potentially come across as a little rushed (which, i mean, lowkey it still is lmfao but who cares let them live and be gay and happy)
> 
> tumblr: danisdreaming
> 
> twitter: whatarecartoons

**Author's Note:**

> i don’t know what’s up with me and starting fics in the middle of the night, only to finish them at 9am,, but here we are again 
> 
> anyway i hope you like this one cause i came up with the idea and then immediately started working on it without an actual plan lmao
> 
> my tumblr: danisdreaming


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